Nash Daily: Askarov Back To The AHL, Stars Hammer Blackhawks

Fresh off his first NHL win over the Washington Capitals on Saturday, Nashville Predators goaltender Yaroslav Askarov was reassigned to the Milwaukee Admirals on Sunday.

Askarov stopped 27 of 29 shots in regulation and overtime (.931 save percentage), and he turned away both shootout attempts from Evgeny Kuznetsov and Alex Ovechkin.

The #Preds have reassigned goaltender Yaroslav Askarov to Milwaukee (AHL).https://t.co/vGvhJMCxRV

— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) December 31, 2023

The move likely signals that backup goalie Kevin Lankinen is healthy and ready to return to the lineup. He had been listed as day-to-day with an illness.

Nashville Hockey Now

Speaking of the win over the Capitals, it was made possible after a controversial penalty in the final minute of the third period in which Alex Ovechkin’s go-ahead goal was disallowed after goaltender interference was called on Nick Dowd for making contact with Askarov.

Nashville Hockey Now’s Clay Brewer broke the play down and explained why the officials actually got the call wrong.

In addition to the polarizing no-goal, the Predators actually played a strong game in Washington. Here’s the plus/minus report from the 3-2 shootout win.

Predators prospect Zachary L’Heureux has always played with a bit of an edge, but his latest antics have landed him an AHL suspension after getting physical with Chicago Blackhawks prospect Colton Dach.

Central Division Standings

1. Colorado Avalanche — 23-11-3, 49 points
2. Winnipeg Jets — 22-9-4, 48 points
3. Dallas Stars — 22-9-4, 48 points
4. Nashville Predators — 20-16-1, 41 points
5. Arizona Coyotes — 19-14-2, 40 points
6. St. Louis Blues — 18-17-1, 37 points
7. Minnesota Wild — 16-15-4, 36 points
8. Chicago Blackhawks — 11-23-2, 24 points

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